CN113442912A

CN113442912A - Automatic driving method, automatic driving platform and vehicle system

Info

Publication number: CN113442912A
Application number: CN202010230026.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 齐木広太朗
Original assignee: Toyota Motor Corp
Current assignee: Toyota Motor Corp
Priority date: 2020-03-27
Filing date: 2020-03-27
Publication date: 2021-09-28

Abstract

Disclosed are an automatic driving method of a vehicle, an automatic driving platform and a vehicle system. The automatic driving method of the vehicle comprises the following steps: determining an environmental condition around the vehicle; determining whether there is an oncoming vehicle in an adjacent lane during a passing of the host vehicle based on the environmental condition; determining whether or not a time required for the host vehicle to overtake is shorter than a collision time thereof with an oncoming vehicle in a case where there is the oncoming vehicle in an adjacent lane during the overtaking of the host vehicle; and controlling the vehicle to continuously overtake and prompting the opposite vehicle to decelerate when the time required by the vehicle to overtake is not less than the time of collision between the vehicle and the opposite vehicle.

Description

Automatic driving method, automatic driving platform and vehicle system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to vehicle control.

Background

Research on automatic driving of vehicles has been actively conducted. For example, chinese patent application publication CN 110167810a discloses a vehicle control system capable of guiding a vehicle to a destination while suppressing unnecessary behavior, and which is provided with: a recommended lane setting unit that sets a recommended lane to be traveled during automatic driving; and an automatic driving control unit that restricts an own vehicle from overtaking another vehicle when the own vehicle travels on the recommended lane set by the recommended lane setting unit by the automatic driving and the recommended lane is a lane of a branch source at a branch point ahead of a traveling direction of the own vehicle.

Disclosure of Invention

In the technique described in CN 110167810a, the problem of how the own vehicle handles in the case where there is an oncoming vehicle during passing of the own vehicle is not considered.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and problems. The present invention is directed to providing an autopilot method, an autopilot platform, and a vehicle system that address the above-mentioned situations and problems.

An automatic driving method of a vehicle according to the present invention includes: determining an environmental condition around the vehicle; determining whether there is an oncoming vehicle in an adjacent lane during a passing of the host vehicle based on the environmental condition; determining whether or not a time required for the host vehicle to overtake is shorter than a collision time thereof with an oncoming vehicle in a case where there is the oncoming vehicle in an adjacent lane during the overtaking of the host vehicle; and controlling the vehicle to continuously overtake and prompting the opposite vehicle to decelerate when the time required by the vehicle to overtake is not less than the time of collision between the vehicle and the opposite vehicle.

Further, the automatic driving method according to the present invention further includes: and controlling the vehicle to continuously overtake when the time required by the vehicle to overtake is less than the time of collision between the vehicle and the opposite vehicle.

In the automatic driving method according to the present invention, when the time required for the host vehicle to overtake is not less than the time required for the host vehicle to collide with the oncoming vehicle, the host vehicle is controlled to continue overtaking, and the deceleration of the oncoming vehicle is presented, and the host vehicle is also controlled to decelerate.

According to the automatic driving method of the present invention, the prompting of the deceleration of the oncoming vehicle includes: and controlling a front display of the vehicle to display information for prompting deceleration of the oncoming vehicle.

Another aspect of the invention relates to an autopilot platform comprising: a sensor group configured to detect an environmental condition around a host vehicle; and a first control unit that executes automated driving control of the own vehicle, configured to: determining whether there is an oncoming vehicle in an adjacent lane during a passing of the host vehicle based on the environmental condition; determining whether or not a time required for the host vehicle to overtake is shorter than a collision time thereof with an oncoming vehicle in a case where there is the oncoming vehicle in an adjacent lane during the overtaking of the host vehicle; and under the condition that the time required by the vehicle to overtake is not less than the time of collision between the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle, sending a first control instruction for controlling the vehicle to overtake continuously and prompting the oncoming vehicle to decelerate.

Still another aspect of the invention relates to a vehicle system for use in cooperation with a vehicle platform that includes a second control unit that performs travel control of a vehicle. The vehicle system includes: the autopilot platform described above; and a vehicle control interface configured to connect the vehicle platform and the autonomous driving platform, wherein the vehicle control interface comprises a third control unit configured to perform: acquiring the first control instruction from the first control unit; converting the first control instruction into a second control instruction for the second control unit; and sending the second control instruction to the second control unit.

According to the automatic driving method, the automatic driving platform and the vehicle system provided by the invention, the situation that the opposite driving vehicles exist during the overtaking period of the vehicle can be dealt with, and thus better automatic driving is realized.

Drawings

Features, advantages and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a vehicle system according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating one example of components provided in the system;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing data input and output of a vehicle control interface;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing data to be converted;

fig. 5 is a flowchart showing a process performed in the first embodiment;

fig. 6 is a flowchart showing a process performed in the first embodiment;

fig. 7 is a diagram showing a vehicle travel plan;

fig. 8A is a diagram showing a physical control amount (degree of addition or subtraction or deceleration) of the vehicle;

fig. 8B is a diagram showing a physical control amount (steering angle) of the vehicle;

fig. 8C is a diagram showing the value of the physical control amount (acceleration or deceleration) of the vehicle at each time step;

fig. 9A is a flowchart showing a process of an automatic driving method according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure; and

fig. 9B is a flowchart illustrating further processing of an automatic driving method according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Such a configuration is proposed: wherein a vehicle platform including a computer that controls the power of the vehicle is provided separately from an automatic driving platform that makes a judgment of automatic driving, and both platforms are installed in a vehicle system. For example, the autonomous driving platform senses the surroundings of the vehicle and transmits a control command to an existing vehicle platform based on the sensing result. With such a configuration, independent vendors can develop respective platforms, and thus, development of the automatic driving function by a third party can be facilitated.

Meanwhile, various problems may occur in the case where platforms developed by different suppliers are installed in the same vehicle system (i.e., a vehicle powertrain and an autopilot system that issues control commands to the powertrain are connected to the same on-board network). One of the problems that can arise is that the commands for controlling the vehicle platform differ depending on the manufacturer and the vehicle type. For example, the input or output of an engine ECU varies depending on the manufacturer and the type of vehicle, and therefore it is expensive to design an autopilot ECU that is compatible with all vehicle types. Furthermore, because various information for controlling the vehicle flows through the on-board network, it is undesirable to allow an autonomous driving platform (manufactured by a third party not directly related to the vehicle platform) unlimited access to that information.

Thus, the vehicle system according to the present embodiment is configured such that the vehicle platform and the autonomous driving platform are connected via the vehicle control interface to relay information. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle system according to the present embodiment. The vehicle platform 100 is a platform including a first computer (e.g., an engine ECU or the like) that performs travel control of the vehicle. The first computer is also an example of the second control unit. The autopilot platform 200 is a platform that includes a second computer (e.g., an autopilot ECU) that performs autopilot control of the vehicle. The second computer is also an example of the first control unit. The autonomous platform 200 may have a means for sensing surroundings of the vehicle and a means for generating a travel plan based on the sensing result.

The vehicle control interface 300 is a device that connects the vehicle platform 100 and the autonomous driving platform 200 and relays information that the vehicle platform and the autonomous driving platform input and output to and from each other. Specifically, the vehicle control interface 300 is configured to include a control unit (which is also an example of a third control unit) in which a first control instruction, which is data for controlling the vehicle platform and includes at least one of first data relating to specified acceleration and deceleration and second data relating to a specified travel locus, is acquired from a second computer, the first control instruction is converted into a second control instruction for the first computer, and the second control instruction is transmitted to the first computer.

The first data is data relating to acceleration and deceleration of the specified vehicle, and the second data is data relating to the specified travel locus. The first data may be, for example, data specifying a speed change amount (acceleration or deceleration) per unit time or a target speed. In addition, the second data may be, for example, data specifying a steering angle. The second data may be data specifying a travel track.

The first control instruction is generated as a general-purpose instruction that is not specific to a first computer provided in the vehicle. The control unit converts the first control instruction into a second control instruction, which is data specific to the first computer. According to this configuration, the general-purpose instructions can be converted into instructions specific to the type of vehicle or the manufacturer.

In the case where the first control instruction includes data other than the first data and the second data, the control unit may discard the data without converting the data. According to such a configuration, in the event that data is sent that should not be sent to the vehicle platform 100 (e.g., instructions for vehicle components that should not be accessed by the autonomous platform), such data may be appropriately filtered.

The vehicle control interface may further include a storage unit configured to store conversion information that is a rule for converting the first control instruction and the second control instruction, wherein the control unit converts the first control instruction into the second control instruction based on the conversion information. For example, the storage unit stores in advance a rule (specific to the vehicle) for converting a first control instruction into a second control instruction, and generates a control instruction to be transmitted to the vehicle platform based on data transmitted from the autonomous driving platform. According to such a configuration, an autopilot platform can be introduced regardless of the manufacturer or vehicle type.

The control unit may calculate a range of acceleration or deceleration or a range of steering angle change amount that may be required to the first computer based on information acquired from the vehicle platform.

The range of speed change per unit time (acceleration or deceleration) and the range of steering angle change per unit time (angular velocity, etc.), both of which may be requested from the vehicle platform, depend on the vehicle state and the driving state (e.g., road condition, traffic condition, engine load condition, number of occupants, etc.). Thus, the vehicle control interface may calculate these based on information obtained from the vehicle platform. According to such a configuration, it is possible to determine whether the data transmitted from the automated driving platform is appropriate. In addition, the autopilot platform may be notified of the appropriate range.

In the case where the acceleration or deceleration specified by the first data exceeds the range that can be requested to the first computer, the control unit may correct the acceleration or deceleration within a predetermined range. In the case where the amount of change in the steering angle specified by the second data exceeds the range that can be requested to the first computer, the control unit may correct the amount of change in the steering angle within a predetermined range.

As described above, the vehicle control interface may automatically perform the correction in the case where the automated driving platform specifies an inappropriate acceleration or deceleration or steering angle variation amount. According to this configuration, security can be ensured.

The control unit may notify the second computer of a range of acceleration or deceleration or a range of steering angle change amount that may be required to the first computer. As described above, the information necessary for the determination during the automated driving may be notified to the automated driving platform.

First embodiment

An overview of a vehicle system according to a first embodiment will be described. As shown in fig. 1, the vehicle system according to the present embodiment is constituted by a vehicle platform 100, an autonomous driving platform 200, and a vehicle control interface 300. The vehicle platform 100 is a conventional vehicle platform. The vehicle platform 100 operates based on control instructions specific to the vehicle and generates vehicle information specific to the vehicle. The control commands and vehicle information are encapsulated, for example, by Controller Area Network (CAN) frames flowing through the on-board network.

The autopilot platform 200 has means for sensing the surroundings of the vehicle and issues control commands that are not specific to the type of vehicle or manufacturer. Further, vehicle information that is not specific to the type of vehicle or the manufacturer is acquired. The vehicle control interface 300 interconverts vehicle-specific control instructions (i.e., control instructions interpretable by the vehicle platform 100) and non-vehicle-specific control instructions (i.e., control instructions generated by the autopilot platform 200). Further, the vehicle control interface 300 also reciprocally converts vehicle information that is vehicle-specific (i.e., vehicle information generated by the vehicle platform 100) and vehicle information that is not vehicle-specific (i.e., vehicle information that may be interpreted by the autonomous driving platform 200).

The vehicle system of fig. 1 includes all three of the autopilot platform 200, the vehicle control interface 300, and the vehicle platform 100, but this is by way of example only. In some embodiments, any two of the autonomous platform 200, the vehicle control interface 300, and the vehicle platform 100 may constitute a vehicle system, for example, a vehicle system including both the autonomous platform 200 and the vehicle control interface 300 may also be provided. As an example, the autopilot platform 200 and the vehicle control interface 300 may be manufactured and produced by a single vendor/third party and configured as a kit or system.

Next, each component of the system will be described in detail. Fig. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing one example of the configuration of the vehicle system shown in fig. 1. The vehicle system includes a vehicle platform 100, an autonomous driving platform 200, and a vehicle control interface 300, and each component is communicatively connected by a bus 400.

The vehicle platform 100 includes a vehicle control ECU 101, a brake device 102, a steering device 103, a steering angle sensor 111, and a vehicle speed sensor 112. In this example, a vehicle having an engine is taken as an example, but an electric vehicle may be used. In this case, the engine ECU may be replaced with an ECU that manages the vehicle power. Further, the vehicle platform 100 may be equipped with different ECUs and sensors than those illustrated.

The vehicle control ECU 101 is a computer that controls various components of the vehicle (e.g., engine system components, powertrain system components, brake system components, electrical system components, and vehicle body system components). The vehicle control ECU 101 may be a group of computers. The vehicle control ECU 101 controls the rotation speed of the engine by executing fuel injection control, for example. The vehicle control ECU 101 may control the engine speed based on a control instruction (e.g., an instruction for specifying the throttle opening degree) generated by, for example, an operation of an occupant (e.g., an operation of an accelerator pedal).

In the case where the vehicle is an electric vehicle, the vehicle control ECU 101 may control the rotation speed of the motor by controlling a driving voltage, a current, a driving frequency, and the like. In this case, as in the case of the internal combustion engine vehicle, the rotation speed of the electric motor may be controlled based on a control command generated by an operation of the occupant. Further, the regenerative current may be controlled based on the depression force of the brake pedal and a control command indicating the degree of regenerative braking. In the case where the vehicle is a hybrid vehicle, control for both the engine and the motor may be performed.

In addition, the vehicle control ECU 101 may control the braking force of the mechanical brake by controlling an actuator 1021 included in a brake device 102 described later. The vehicle control ECU 101 may control the brake hydraulic pressure by driving the actuator 1021 based on a control command (e.g., a command indicating a depression force to a brake pedal) generated by, for example, an operation of an occupant (e.g., operating the brake pedal).

In addition, the vehicle control ECU 101 can control the steering angle or the steering wheel angle by controlling a steering motor 1031 included in a steering device 103 described later. The vehicle control ECU 101 may control the steering angle of the vehicle by driving the steering motor 1031 based on a control command (e.g., a command indicating the steering angle) generated by, for example, an operation (e.g., a steering operation) of an occupant.

The control instructions may be generated in the vehicle platform 100 based on the occupant's operation, or may be generated outside the vehicle platform 100 (e.g., by a device that controls autopilot).

The brake device 102 is a mechanical brake system provided in a vehicle. The brake device 102 includes an interface (such as a brake pedal), an actuator 1021, a hydraulic system, a brake cylinder, and the like. The actuator 1021 is a device for controlling the hydraulic pressure in the brake system. The braking force of the mechanical brake can be ensured by controlling the hydraulic pressure of the brake by the actuator 1021 that has received an instruction from the vehicle control ECU 101.

The steering device 103 is a steering system provided in the vehicle. The steering device 103 includes interfaces (such as a steering wheel, a steering motor 1031, a gear box, and a steering column). The steering motor 1031 is a device for assisting a steering operation. The force required for the steering operation can be reduced by driving the steering motor 1031 that has received the instruction from the vehicle control ECU 101. Further, the steering operation can be automated by driving the steering motor 1031 without relying on the operation of the occupant.

The steering angle sensor 111 is a sensor that detects a steering angle obtained by a steering operation. The detection value acquired by the steering angle sensor 111 is sent to the vehicle control ECU 101 as necessary. In the present embodiment, a numerical value directly representing the rotation angle of the tire is used as the steering angle, but a value indirectly representing the rotation angle of the tire may be used. The vehicle speed sensor 112 is a sensor that detects a vehicle speed. The detection value acquired by the vehicle speed sensor 112 is sent to the vehicle control ECU 101 as necessary.

The autopilot platform 200 will be described below. The autonomous driving platform 200 is a device that senses the surroundings of the vehicle, generates a travel plan based on the sensing result, and issues an instruction to the vehicle platform 100 according to the plan. Autopilot platform 200 may be developed by a different manufacturer or supplier than that of vehicle platform 100. The autopilot platform 200 includes an autopilot ECU 201 and a sensor group 202.

The automated driving ECU 201 is a computer that determines automated driving based on data acquired from a sensor group 202 described later and controls the vehicle by communicating with the vehicle platform 100. The automated driving ECU 201 is constituted by, for example, a CPU (central processing unit). The automated driving ECU 201 includes two functional modules, a condition recognition unit 2011 and an automated driving control unit 2012. Each functional module may be realized by executing a program stored in a storage unit such as a ROM (read only memory) by the CPU.

The condition recognition unit 2011 detects the environment around the vehicle based on data acquired by sensors included in the sensor group 202 described later. The detection targets include, for example, but not limited to, the number and position of lanes, the number and position of vehicles present around the host vehicle, the number and position of obstacles (e.g., pedestrians, bicycles, structures, buildings, etc.) present around the host vehicle, road structures, road signs, and the like. Any detection target may be used as long as it is necessary for automatic traveling. The data relating to the environment (hereinafter referred to as "environment data") detected by the situation recognition unit 2011 is sent to the automatic driving control unit 2012.

The automatic driving control unit 2012 controls the travel of the own vehicle using the environment data generated by the situation recognition unit 2011. For example, a running track of the vehicle is generated based on the environmental data, and an acceleration or deceleration and a steering angle of the vehicle are determined so that the vehicle runs along the running track.

The information determined by the automated driving control unit 2012 is sent to the vehicle platform 100 (vehicle control ECU 101) via the vehicle control interface 300 described later. A known method may be employed as a method for enabling the vehicle to automatically travel.

In the present embodiment, the automated driving control unit 2012 generates only the instruction relating to acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle and the instruction relating to steering of the vehicle as the first control instruction. Hereinafter, the command related to acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle is referred to as an acceleration-deceleration command, and the command related to steering of the vehicle is referred to as a steering command. The first control command including the acceleration/deceleration command and the steering command is a general command independent of the type of vehicle or the manufacturer. In the present embodiment, the acceleration/deceleration command is information that specifies the acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle, and the steering command is information that specifies the steering angle of the steering wheel of the vehicle.

The sensor group 202 is a unit configured to sense surroundings of the vehicle, and typically includes a monocular camera, a stereo camera, a radar, a laser radar (LIDAR), a laser scanner, and the like. The sensor group 202 may include a device (e.g., a GPS module) for acquiring the current position of the vehicle, in addition to those devices for sensing the surroundings of the vehicle. Information acquired by the sensors included in the sensor group 202 is sent to the automated driving ECU 201 as necessary (the situation recognition unit 2011).

Next, the vehicle control interface 300 will be described. In the present embodiment, the control instructions processed by the vehicle control ECU 101 are specific to the vehicle and the manufacturer. On the other hand, the autopilot platform 200 is a device developed by a third party and is expected to be installed in various vehicle types of various manufacturers. That is, connecting both components to the same on-board network is expensive. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the vehicle control interface 300 functions as a means of converting and relaying data exchanged between the vehicle control ECU 101 and the automated driving ECU 201.

The control unit 301 is a computer that mutually converts a control instruction processed by the vehicle control ECU 101 and a control instruction processed by the automated driving ECU 201. The control unit 301 is constituted by a CPU (central processing unit), for example. As shown in fig. 3, the control unit 301 includes three functional blocks, an acceleration/deceleration instruction processing unit 3011, a steering instruction processing unit 3012, and a vehicle information processing unit 3013. Each functional module can be realized by executing a program stored in a storage unit 302 described later by the CPU.

The acceleration/deceleration-instruction processing unit 3011 receives an acceleration/deceleration instruction from the automated driving ECU 201, and converts the acceleration/deceleration instruction into data (a second control instruction; hereinafter referred to as "control data") that can be interpreted by the vehicle control ECU 101. Specifically, the acceleration or deceleration (e.g., +3.0km/h/s) specified by the acceleration-deceleration command is converted into data indicating the throttle opening degree or data indicating the brake pressure. The converted control data is transmitted in a protocol or format specific to the vehicle platform 100. The conversion processing is performed using conversion information stored in the storage unit 302 described later. This process will be described later.

In this example, the throttle opening degree and the brake pressure are exemplified as the control data. However, the control data may be other data as long as it is related to acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle. For example, a target rotation speed or current value of the motor may be used.

The steering instruction processing unit 3012 receives a steering instruction from the automated driving ECU 201, and converts the steering instruction into control data that can be interpreted by the vehicle control ECU 101 using the conversion information. Specifically, the data is converted to data indicative of steering angle specific to the vehicle platform 100. In this example, the turning angle of the tire is exemplified as the steering angle, but the control data may be other data as long as it is related to the steering of the vehicle. For example, the control data may directly or indirectly represent steering wheel angle, percentage of maximum angle of rotation, or the like.

The vehicle information processing unit 3013 receives information on the vehicle state from the vehicle control ECU 101, and converts the information into information interpretable by the automated driving ECU 201 (information not specific to the vehicle type). Specifically, information transmitted in a protocol or format specific to the vehicle platform 100 is converted into information in a common format (hereinafter referred to as feedback data). Hereinafter, the information on the vehicle state is referred to as sensor data. The sensor data is based on, for example, information acquired by the steering angle sensor 111 and the vehicle speed sensor 112, and is transmitted to the in-vehicle network by the vehicle control ECU 101. For example, the sensor data may be any data as long as it can be fed back to the automated driving ECU 201, such as vehicle speed information, information on the rotation angle of the tire, and information on the steering angle. In the present embodiment, the vehicle information processing unit 3013 converts sensor data relating to the current vehicle speed and steering angle state.

The storage unit 302 is a unit configured to store information, and the storage unit 302 is constituted by a storage medium such as a RAM, a magnetic disk, a flash memory, or the like. The storage unit 302 stores information (hereinafter, conversion information) for converting the acceleration/deceleration instruction and the steering instruction generated by the automated driving ECU 201 (automated driving control unit 2012) into control data that can be interpreted by the vehicle control ECU 101 (and vice versa). The conversion information also includes information for converting sensor data specific to the vehicle into feedback data.

The conversion information includes, for example, the configuration of control data input to or output from the vehicle control ECU 101, parameters thereof, and tables or mathematical formulas for converting input values into parameters. Further, the conversion information is composed of the configuration of the sensor data output from the vehicle control ECU 101, the parameters thereof, a table for converting the parameters into physical values, mathematical formulas, and the like.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the types of data converted by the conversion information. In the figure, "input" indicates that it is data from the automated driving ECU 201 to the vehicle control ECU 101, and "output" indicates that it is data from the vehicle control ECU 101 to the automated driving ECU 201. As described above, the instructions related to the acceleration or deceleration and the steering angle are transmitted from the automated driving ECU 201 to the vehicle control ECU 101, and the data related to the current vehicle speed and steering angle state are transmitted from the vehicle control ECU 101 to the automated driving ECU 201. In the case where data other than the data shown in fig. 4 is transmitted to the vehicle control interface 300, the data is discarded.

In the vehicle system according to the present embodiment, communication between the vehicle platform 100 and the automated driving platform 200 is performed by the above-described configuration.

Next, the processing performed by the vehicle system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the processing flowcharts of fig. 5 and 6. The process shown in fig. 5 is performed by the autopilot platform 200 at predetermined intervals.

In step S11, the automated driving ECU 201 generates a travel plan based on the information acquired from the sensor group 202. The travel plan is data indicating the behavior of the vehicle within a predetermined interval. For example, as shown in fig. 7, when a travel plan in which a vehicle traveling in a first lane moves to a second lane is generated, a travel locus as shown in the drawing is generated. The travel plan may include a travel track of the vehicle, or may include information relating to acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle. The travel plan may also be generated based on information other than the exemplary information. For example, the generation may be based on a departure place, a transit place, a destination, map data, and the like.

In step S12, the automated driving ECU 201 generates a physical control amount for implementing the travel plan. In the present embodiment, two types of physical control amounts, that is, a physical control amount for acceleration or deceleration and a physical control amount for steering angle are generated. Fig. 8A is a time chart showing a control amount for acceleration or deceleration, and fig. 8B is a time chart showing a control amount for steering angle. Each value may be generated based on a parameter set in advance, such as a relationship between a vehicle speed and a maximum steering angle, a relationship between a running environment and an acceleration or deceleration (steering angle), or a period of time required to complete an operation (e.g., change lanes).

In step S13, the automated driving ECU 201 divides each generated physical control amount into a plurality of time steps. The time step may be, for example, 100 milliseconds, but is not limited thereto. FIG. 8C shows an example in which at the slave time t₁To time t₂The physical control amount for the generated acceleration or deceleration is divided into seven steps.

In step S14, the automated driving ECU 201 shifts from the current time step t based on the physical control amount_nTo the next time step t_n+1And (3) sending an acceleration and deceleration command and a steering command. For example, when one time step is 100 msec and +2.0km/h/s is specified as acceleration or deceleration, an acceleration/deceleration command for specifying a variation of 0.2km/h per time step is generated. For example, when it is specified to change the steering angle by 20 degrees within 2 seconds, a steering instruction for specifying the amount of change of 1 degree per time step is generated. The generated acceleration/deceleration command and steering command are input to the control unit 301 of the vehicle control interface 300.

In step S15, the vehicle control interface 300 (control unit 301) processes the acquired acceleration/deceleration command and steering command. Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating the processing in step S15 in detail. In step S151, the acceleration/deceleration command processing unit 3011 acquires an acceleration/deceleration command transmitted from the automated driving ECU 201. Similarly, in step S152, the steering instruction processing unit 3012 acquires a steering instruction sent from the automated driving ECU 201.

In step S153, the control unit 301 performs data conversion. Specifically, the acceleration/deceleration-instruction processing unit 3011 performs interconversion between the acceleration/deceleration instruction and the control data based on the conversion information stored in the storage unit 302. The control data to be converted is data indicating the opening degree of a throttle or data specifying the brake pressure. Further, the steering instruction processing unit 3012 performs interconversion between the steering instruction and the control data based on the conversion information stored in the storage unit 302. The control data to be converted is data indicating a steering angle (a rotation angle of a tire).

In step S154, the generated control data is transmitted to the vehicle control ECU 101. In this step, for example, the control data generated in step S153 is packaged in a data frame transmitted or received by the in-vehicle network, and is transmitted to the vehicle control ECU 101 as the destination. Further, in step S15, in the case where the vehicle control interface 300 receives data other than the data shown in fig. 4, the data is discarded.

The description will be continued with returning to fig. 5. Step S16 is a step in which the automated driving ECU 201 senses the vehicle state after the control data is transmitted. In this step, the sensor data transmitted from the vehicle control ECU 101 is converted by the vehicle control interface 300 based on the conversion information, and then relayed to the automated driving ECU 201. The automated driving ECU 201 that receives such data determines whether the vehicle is in a desired state.

Since the behavior of the vehicle is affected by the current engine load, road conditions (e.g., gradient), and the like, in the present embodiment, the automated driving ECU 201 receives feedback of sensor data and determines whether or not the required physical control amount is acquired. The sensor data is acquired by the vehicle information processing unit 3013, converted into feedback data (data indicating the current vehicle speed and steering angle), and then sent to the automated driving ECU 201. Fig. 3 and 4 show example data indicating the current vehicle speed and steering angle as feedback data, but the feedback data is not limited thereto. For example, the feedback data may include data relating to factors that affect vehicle behavior, such as tire angle, steering angle, angular velocity, engine load, road grade (inclination), number of occupants, load bearing capacity, road conditions, and traffic conditions.

In step S17, the automated driving ECU 201 corrects the travel plan based on the received feedback data. For example, if the feedback data indicates that the engine load is high and the required acceleration cannot be acquired, the running plan is corrected so that a higher acceleration can be acquired. In addition, although the case of correcting the travel plan is given in this example, there may be a case where the travel control cannot be changed, but the physical control amount for implementing the travel plan may be corrected.

In the vehicle system according to the first embodiment, by executing the above-described processing, it is possible to execute appropriate vehicle travel control according to the vehicle condition. Specifically, by defining data to be relayed by the vehicle control interface 300 as instructions related to acceleration and deceleration and instructions related to steering and filtering other instructions, it is possible to prevent access to unnecessary vehicle functions and ensure safety. Further, by preparing the conversion information, the autopilot platform 200 can be applied to various vehicle types without change.

In the description of the present embodiment, the automated driving ECU 201 corrects the difference between the actual state of the vehicle and the ideal state of the vehicle based on the feedback data. However, the vehicle control interface 300 may also perform the correction. For example, feedback data generated by the vehicle information processing unit 3013 may be input to the acceleration/deceleration instruction processing unit 3011 (steering instruction processing unit 3012) so that the acceleration/deceleration instruction processing unit 3011 (steering instruction processing unit 3012) automatically corrects the control data. In addition, the automated driving ECU 201 may generate data specifying the amount to be corrected independently of the acceleration-deceleration command and the steering command, and may transmit the data to the vehicle control interface 300.

In the description of the present embodiment, the automated driving ECU 201 transmits two types of instructions (i.e., the acceleration-deceleration instruction and the steering instruction) to the vehicle control interface 300, but other information may be transmitted as additional information. Further, the vehicle control interface 300 may generate control data to be transmitted to the vehicle control ECU 101 based on the additional information. In the description of the embodiment, a steering angle (a steering angle of a tire) is used as a steering command. However, the steering command may be information about the trajectory of the vehicle itself.

Second embodiment

In the first embodiment, the vehicle control interface 300 performs mutual conversion of data based on the conversion information stored in the storage unit 302. However, depending on the vehicle state, it may not be appropriate to switch the instruction sent from the autonomous platform 200 in this regard without change. The second embodiment is an embodiment in which the ranges of acceleration or deceleration and steering angle are limited in order to solve such a problem.

The configuration of the vehicle system according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment except that the vehicle control interface 300 (vehicle information processing unit 3013) has a function of generating information (hereinafter referred to as range information) on the range of acceleration or deceleration and the range of steering angle that can be specified based on sensor data acquired from the vehicle platform and notifying the range information to the automated driving platform.

In the second embodiment, the vehicle information processing unit 3013 calculates a range of acceleration or deceleration and a range of steering angle that can be specified based on the acquired sensor data, and notifies the automatic driving ECU 201 of these ranges. For example, the acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle that can be achieved may be changed according to the number of occupants, the load capacity, the engine load condition, the road surface condition, and the like. In addition, the range of the steering angle that can be achieved may be changed according to the vehicle speed, road conditions, traffic conditions, and the like. By calculating these ranges and notifying the automatic driving ECU 201 of the range data, appropriate control can be performed.

Examples of the notified scope information include the following data: (1) a range of acceleration or deceleration (lower limit value and upper limit value) that can be specified; (2) a range of steering angles (left and right angles) that can be specified; (3) a range of steering angle variation (angular velocity) that can be specified; and (4) the range of lateral acceleration or lateral jerk (lateral jerk). Such information is estimated and generated from the sensor data. The rule for generating the range information is stored in the storage unit 302 in advance.

The range information generated by the vehicle control interface 300 is transmitted to the automated driving ECU 201, and is used in steps S11 to S12. For example, the physical control amount is generated in step S12 such that the acceleration or deceleration, the steering angle, and the angular velocity of the steering angle fall within the notified range. Alternatively, in step S11, the travel plan is generated such that the physical control amount does not fall outside the range.

Further, in the second embodiment, in the case where the acceleration/deceleration command and the steering command generated by the automated driving ECU 201 exceed the above-described ranges, those commands are corrected. For example, when the acceleration/deceleration command and the steering command generated by the automated driving ECU 201 include values exceeding an upper limit value (lower limit value), the control data is generated assuming that the upper limit value (lower limit value) is specified. Therefore, the vehicle can be controlled only in a range where the vehicle is considered safe.

In addition, in the case where the correction is made based on the range information, the feedback sent to the automated driving ECU 201 may include that the correction has been made. Therefore, the automated driving ECU 201 can regenerate the travel plan.

In the description of the present embodiment, the vehicle information processing unit 3013 generates information on the vehicle speed and the steering angle as range data, but other information may be attached. For example, when the throttle is fully closed, an estimate of acceleration or deceleration may be appended to the range data.

Third embodiment

The third embodiment is a function added to the above-described first and second embodiments on the automated driving platform side, and relates to a problem of determining whether there is an obstacle on the passing trajectory of the own vehicle before the own vehicle passes and how the own vehicle handles when there is an oncoming vehicle during the passing of the own vehicle.

The configuration of the third embodiment, which is different from the configurations of the foregoing first and second embodiments, is mainly described below.

As described previously, the situation recognition unit 2011 of the automated driving platform 200 detects the environment around the vehicle based on the data acquired by the sensors included in the sensor group 202, and the automated driving control unit 2012 controls the travel of the own vehicle using the environment data generated by the situation recognition unit 2011. For example, an overtaking trajectory of the host vehicle is generated based on the environmental data, and an acceleration or deceleration and a steering angle of the vehicle are determined so that the vehicle travels along the overtaking trajectory. For example, the automated driving control unit 2012 determines whether there is an obstacle on the passing trajectory of the own vehicle based on the environmental situation, and controls the own vehicle to pass if there is no obstacle on the passing trajectory of the own vehicle. Obstacles that hinder the passing of the own vehicle are, for example, oncoming vehicles on the adjacent lane of the current lane where the own vehicle is located, blind spots, crossroads, another vehicle or pedestrian in the current lane, and the like. The automatic driving control unit 2012 determines whether the time required for the oncoming vehicle to pass is shorter than the time required for the oncoming vehicle to collide with the oncoming vehicle, and determines that the oncoming vehicle is not an obstacle on the passing trajectory of the oncoming vehicle if the time required for the oncoming vehicle to pass is shorter than the time required for the oncoming vehicle to collide with the oncoming vehicle, and otherwise determines that the oncoming vehicle is an obstacle on the passing trajectory of the oncoming vehicle.

Further, during passing of the own vehicle, if it is determined that there is an oncoming vehicle in the adjacent lane based on the environmental data at this time, the automatic driving control unit 2012 determines whether or not the time required for passing of the own vehicle is shorter than the time required for collision with the oncoming vehicle, and if it is determined that the time required for passing of the own vehicle is not shorter than the time required for collision with the oncoming vehicle, controls the own vehicle to continue passing and prompts the oncoming vehicle to decelerate to avoid collision, and if it is determined that the time required for passing of the own vehicle is shorter than the time required for collision with the oncoming vehicle, controls the own vehicle to continue passing. Of course, while the automatic driving control unit 2012 controls the own vehicle to continue passing and prompts deceleration of the oncoming vehicle, it is also possible to selectively control the own vehicle to decelerate so as to avoid excessive collision force or serious damage even if both vehicles collide. The technical term "Collision Time" herein may be understood as a Time period elapsed before a Collision occurs, and a general TTC (Time-To-Collision) may be used as an example of the "Collision Time".

Ways of prompting the oncoming vehicle to decelerate include, but are not limited to, causing a front display of the host vehicle to display a prompt message, causing a turn light or a high beam of the host vehicle to flash, or causing a horn of the host vehicle to whistle, etc., thereby prompting a driver of the oncoming vehicle to decelerate or avoid the host vehicle from colliding with the host vehicle. For example, the front display of the host vehicle displays the presentation information to the outside of the host vehicle so that a person (for example, a driver or a passenger on an oncoming vehicle) or the like located in front of the host vehicle can view the information. This makes it possible to quickly transmit the warning information and to allow the driver or the passenger who is looking ahead at the oncoming vehicle to see the warning information in time and then decelerate the vehicle without distracting them.

In the present embodiment, the automated driving control unit 2012 generates an instruction relating to overtaking of the own vehicle as the first control instruction.

Next, the process of the automatic driving method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the process flow charts of fig. 9A and 9B. The processing shown in fig. 9A and 9B is performed by the autopilot platform 200 at predetermined intervals.

As shown in fig. 9A, in step S21, the automated driving ECU 201 determines the environmental conditions around the own vehicle based on the information acquired from the sensor group 202, and the process proceeds to step S22.

In step S22, it is determined whether there is an obstacle on the passing trajectory of the host vehicle based on the environmental situation. Obstacles that hinder the passing of the own vehicle are, for example, oncoming vehicles on the adjacent lane of the current lane where the own vehicle is located, blind spots, crossroads, another vehicle or pedestrian in the current lane, and the like. And if the time required for the vehicle to overtake is less than the time required for the vehicle to overtake, determining that the oncoming vehicle is not an obstacle on the overtaking track of the vehicle, otherwise determining that the oncoming vehicle is an obstacle on the overtaking track of the vehicle.

When there is an obstacle on the passing trajectory of the host vehicle (yes in S22), the present process ends. If there is no obstacle on the passing trajectory of the host vehicle (no in S22), the process proceeds to step S23, and the host vehicle is controlled to pass through in step S23. Then, the present process ends.

Next, an automatic driving method in the case where there is an oncoming vehicle during passing of the own vehicle will be described with reference to fig. 9B.

In step S31, the automated driving ECU 201 determines the environmental situation around the own vehicle based on the information acquired from the sensor group 202, and the process proceeds to step S32.

In step S32, it is determined whether there is an oncoming vehicle in the adjacent lane during the passing of the own vehicle based on the environmental situation. In the case where there is an oncoming vehicle in the adjacent lane (S32: YES), the process proceeds to step S33. If there is no oncoming vehicle in the adjacent lane (no in S32), the present process ends.

In step S33, it is determined whether the time required for the own vehicle to overtake is shorter than the time required for the own vehicle to collide with the oncoming vehicle. If it is determined that the time required for the vehicle to overtake is not less than the time required for the vehicle to collide with the oncoming vehicle (S33: NO), the process proceeds to step S34. In step S34, the host vehicle is controlled to continue passing and to prompt deceleration of the oncoming vehicle to avoid a collision. If it is determined that the time required for the vehicle to overtake is shorter than the time required for the vehicle to collide with the oncoming vehicle (S33: YES), the process proceeds to step S35. In step S35, the vehicle is controlled to continue overtaking. Then, the present process ends. Of course, as described above, in step S34, it is also possible to optionally control the own vehicle to decelerate at the same time so as to avoid excessive collision force or serious damage even if both vehicles collide.

Modified examples

The above-described embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention can be implemented with appropriate modifications within a scope not departing from the gist thereof. For example, the processes and units described in the present disclosure can be freely combined and implemented unless a technical contradiction occurs.

Further, the processing described as being performed by a single apparatus may be performed by a plurality of apparatuses in a shared manner. Alternatively, processes described as being performed by different devices may be performed by a single device. In the computer system, the hardware configuration (server configuration) for realizing each function can be flexibly changed.

The present invention can also be implemented by providing a computer program for executing the functions described in the embodiments in a computer, and reading and executing the program by one or more processors included in the computer. Such thatThe computer program may be provided to the computer by a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to a computer system bus, or may be provided to the computer via a network. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable storage media include random access disks (e.g., magnetic disk: (b))

Disks, Hard Disk Drives (HDDs)) and optical disks (CD-ROMs, DVD disks, blu-ray disks, etc.)), read-only memories (ROMs), Random Access Memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic cards, flash memories, optical cards, and random type media suitable for storing electronic instructions.

Claims

1. An automatic driving method of a vehicle, characterized by comprising:

determining an environmental condition around the vehicle;

determining whether there is an oncoming vehicle in an adjacent lane during a passing of the host vehicle based on the environmental condition;

determining whether or not a time required for the host vehicle to overtake is shorter than a collision time thereof with an oncoming vehicle in a case where there is the oncoming vehicle in an adjacent lane during the overtaking of the host vehicle; and

and under the condition that the time required by the vehicle to overtake is not less than the time of collision between the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle, controlling the vehicle to overtake continuously and prompting the oncoming vehicle to decelerate.

2. The automated driving method according to claim 1, further comprising: and controlling the vehicle to continuously overtake when the time required by the vehicle to overtake is less than the time of collision between the vehicle and the opposite vehicle.

3. The automated driving method according to claim 1, further comprising: and when the time required for overtaking of the vehicle is not less than the time of collision between the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle, controlling the vehicle to continuously overtake, prompting the oncoming vehicle to decelerate, and simultaneously controlling the vehicle to decelerate.

4. The autonomous driving method of claim 1, wherein the prompting the oncoming vehicle to decelerate comprises: and controlling a front display of the vehicle to display information for prompting deceleration of the oncoming vehicle.

5. An autonomous driving platform comprising:

a sensor group configured to detect an environmental condition around a host vehicle; and

a first control unit that executes automatic driving control of the own vehicle, configured to:

and when the time required by the vehicle to overtake is not less than the time of collision between the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle, a first control instruction for controlling the vehicle to overtake continuously and prompting the oncoming vehicle to decelerate is issued.

6. The autopilot platform of claim 5 wherein the first control unit is further configured to: and when the time required by the vehicle to overtake is less than the time of collision between the vehicle and the opposite vehicle, a first control instruction for controlling the vehicle to overtake continuously is sent.

7. The autopilot platform of claim 5 wherein the first control instructions are further configured to control the host vehicle to decelerate.

8. The autopilot platform of claim 5 wherein the first control instruction prompting deceleration of the oncoming vehicle is configured to control a front display of the host vehicle to display information prompting deceleration of the oncoming vehicle.

9. A vehicle system for use in cooperation with a vehicle platform including a second control unit that performs travel control of a vehicle, the vehicle system comprising:

an autonomous driving platform according to any of claims 5-8; and

a vehicle control interface configured to connect the vehicle platform and the autonomous driving platform, wherein the vehicle control interface comprises a third control unit configured to perform:

acquiring the first control instruction from the first control unit;

converting the first control instruction into a second control instruction for the second control unit; and

and sending the second control instruction to the second control unit.